The Universe Blinked
by dragintamer
Summary: Yes, the story and I are still alive. Here's Chapter 9. I hope it was worth the wait. See Chapter 1 for disclaimers.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The Babylon 5 universe and its inhabitants are not mine. I'm just borrowing them.  
  
Protecting the Future  
  
"Where is he?" she yelled. She swung her bare feet to the floor and paused just long enough to let the unexpected wave of dizziness pass before demanding of the empty room, "Lights, goddamnit! Lights, now!" The lights sprang on, and she quickly headed for the door, barely taking notice of the spartan, metallic room she had awoken in.  
  
She charged out of the room wearing only a drab gray bed gown. On her way down the corridor she looked into several other rooms, hoping he would be in one of them. Several nurses tried to stop her, telling her that she should be resting still, but she just ignored them. Other than a lot of yelling, most of the nurses made it through relatively unscathed; all but one. She grabbed him by his collar, slamming him against the wall. "Where is he, damn you? Tell me where he is before I rip your fragging head off!"  
  
The nurse quickly regained his composure, but not before glancing at the door at the end of the hall. "Now, calm down." he said. "We just got word that the doctor'll be here soon, and he'll be very unhappy that you're out of bed so soon after what you've been through."  
  
"Oh, so he's in there, huh?" she asked, having noticed his nervous glance. "Good, he's gonna need a med lab room when I'm done with him." She strode down the hall purposefully, fully expecting to face his annoying grin. He'd probably have some smart-ass remark for her, too.  
  
She reached the end of the hallway, slammed through the door...and stopped dead in her tracks. She was in some kind of observation room, with one wall almost completely made of glass. She looked through the glass at the room on the other side, and saw what appeared to be a corpse under a white sheet, with one foot sticking out.  
  
"It's not him, it can't be. We just finished a war. I'm sure there were a lot of casualties. It could be anybody." She slowly made her way to the chart hanging on the wall, her heart pounding as she opened the folder to read the name at the top of the first page.  
  
She let out an awful wail as she focused on his name on the chart. She threw it at the far wall, and ran over to the glass window to look at what she realized was the body of the man who had loved her enough to actually give his life for her.  
  
"Commander, you really shouldn't be in here." she heard a voice say from the doorway. "You really need to go back to your room."  
  
"Go away!" she screamed. "Just get out!"  
  
A security guard joined the nurse at the door, asking if he should escort her back to her room. "No, she'd never stay there, and we don't want to risk hurting her in the struggle. The doctor will know how to handle her, and his flight is coming in as we speak. I'm on my way to meet him now."  
  
She started slamming her fists into the window separating her from him as the impact of what was happening around her set in. She began to recall what had happened to her, and what he had done for her. Her vision began to blur as she slid to the floor. He couldn't be dead. Not like this...  
  
"Not for me!" she yelled. "Not for me!"  
  
Susan struggled to extricate herself from her blankets. "Lights, low," she whispered through her sobs. Every night since Marcus's death, she prayed to whatever god might be listening to keep the nightmares away, and to just let her forget. And every night, she realized all over again that every god that existed had forsaken her as his memory haunted her. She slowly sat up and eased herself out of the bed, catching the edge of the doorway for support as she made her way to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and saw her long gray hair plastered to her face by a mixture of sweat and tears.  
  
Damn modern medicine! She remembered hearing once that as recently as 200 years ago, the elderly almost always started losing their memories by the age of 75. Now, at the age of one hundred and one, she could still remember in vivid detail the agony of every day since he left her alone with her guilt. The only thing that had kept her going was a need to make him proud of her.  
  
She went back into her bedroom and looked around at the room she had occupied for the last two months. The walls were mostly bare, with only a few random paintings. Her armchair was in one corner, next to a window that looked out onto a garden, with what passed for a lamp on Minbar on the other side of it. The opposite wall contained her small dresser, with only a single brush, a leather hair band, and her Ranger pin on top of it. And there, in the middle of the room, was the four-poster, canopied bed she had had imported from Earth. The large, soft bed was the only real luxury she had ever allowed herself to have, and that wasn't even a real luxury, because it reminded her of Marcus's absence every time she even looked at it.  
  
The aging woman felt as though she were being drawn toward the dresser, and took a box out of the very back of the top drawer, which she carried over to the bed. She sat down and ran her wrinkled hands over the intricate Minbari carvings of the wooden box. She had not looked inside since she first received it almost seventy years ago. Now, Susan reached to the back of her neck and removed the silver chain that had also been given to her all those years ago. Hanging from it was a very small, antique looking Earth key, which she used to unlock the box.  
  
She lifted the lid and peered inside. At the top of the box were a six inch long silver cylinder, and an oval pin, about three inches across, with a green stone in the center and two humanoid figures, one on either side. These items rested on what looked like a brown pillow, but was actually a Ranger duster. They were items she was very familiar with, having a set of her own very much like this one, as did all of the people she had worked with on a regular basis for the last fifty years.  
  
This particular set, however, caused her fresh pain like she had not felt in decades. Stephen had given her this set just before she had left Babylon 5 to take command of the Titans. Marcus had had no family to whom they could send his personal effects, and so he, John, and Delenn had all agreed that Marcus would want her to have them. She had accepted the box graciously; opening it just enough to quickly glance inside while Stephen was still there. She had put the lock on it almost immediately after he left.  
  
Now, as she lifted the Ranger pin out of the box, she could almost swear she felt a hand caress her cheek. She turned, irrationally half expecting her heroic Ranger to be there, and found herself still quite alone. The loss swept over her like a wave. Almost everyone she had ever loved was dead. Her parents, her brother, Talia, Marcus, John...even Michael and Stephen were gone now. All she had left was Delenn, who was even older than Susan, but still playing an active role in the IA, and David, who had taken over the position of Anla'shok Na from her back in August. She knew that either one of them would drop everything for their old friend if needed, but they were far too busy for her to bother them just because she was lonely.  
  
All of a sudden, another feeling of compulsion swept over her. She placed the pin back in its place and closed the box. She left the lock and key in the middle of the bed, got up, and walked out the door into the cool Tuzanor night. She practically glided through the paths around the Ranger compound, more sure in her steps than she had been in twenty years. She entered Tuzanor's cryogenics facilities and went directly to the only private room in the building. One advantage of having been Anla'shok Na for fifty years was that no one questioned her.  
  
Susan walked in and looked at the cryo-tube on the raised platform in the middle of the room. There was a bench next to it, and here she placed the box. She opened it, took out the pin and the closed den'bok, put them on the bench next to the box, and removed the old duster. She unfolded it and put it on, settling it expertly on her slightly drooping shoulders. She sat down on the end of the bench closest to the cryo-tube and secured the Ranger pin at her right shoulder. She lifted the den'bok off of the bench and laid it in her lap, still closed.  
  
"Well, I did it Marcus. I've lived the long life you wanted me to have. I think I've even managed to do some good with the gift you gave me. But now I'm old, Marcus. Old and tired. And very lonely. There really is no one left to play with anymore," she sighed, remembering saying the same thing to Delenn right before John left. "I just wish I knew if you were proud of me. I tried, for you. It wasn't always easy, but I tried."  
  
She placed her hands in her lap, intending to smooth the duster over her legs, and felt something thin and stiff. She lifted the corner of the duster, discovering a secret pocket sewn into the inside of it, and reached in. When she pulled her hand out, she found herself staring at a picture of her sitting at the "Voice of the Resistance" news desk in her black and silver uniform. She was thirty years old. It seemed like another life.  
  
She ran her fingers across it, astounded that he had obviously carried this with him on a regular basis. The pocket it was in was not standard to Ranger dusters. He must have had it put in just for the purpose of carrying her picture. She knew that he had loved her, but hadn't expected this. But then, she suspected there were a lot of things she didn't know about him...and never would.  
  
Susan turned the picture over and saw some faded writing on the back. It took her a second to bring it into focus, but then she recognized the long forgotten phrase. It said "Nu'shan fel'ani In'A lis'e medran." She felt the tears well up in her eyes and spill over onto her wrinkled cheeks.  
  
"Marcus, you stupid son-of-a-bitch. You should have told me. You should have forced the issue, made me deal with it. The whole time I knew you, and in the years since you've been gone, I saw you as some kind of hero, but now that I stop to think about it, you were just as much of a coward as I was. For two years you loved me without saying anything, and when you finally tell me, we're both half dead. I never had a chance to deal with it. You never gave me the chance to try to love you. You were too afraid I'd say no. Some hero!"  
  
Susan felt her heart seize on her. She thought briefly about calling for help, but there really was no point. In all honesty, she was looking forward to death. Seventy years ago she had made her piece with the Universe, and had been prepared to die. The rest had all been a waiting game; seventy long years of loneliness, with nothing but responsibility to keep her sane. Now, with her Earth Force career fifty years gone, and the Rangers in David Sheridan's capable hands, she gave in and let her tired body slowly stop.  
  
"I'm not afraid, Marcus. I'm ready. I've been ready. I have no idea what's waiting for me, if anything, but I'm ready. Who knows, maybe there really is an afterlife, and I'll finally get to tell you all the things I've been saying to the walls and this cryo-tube." Her heart continued to seize, and her breathing became ragged, but she didn't notice the pain anymore. It would all be over soon.  
  
"Just in case there isn't anything after this, there is one thing I want to say out loud, just once. It's something I should have said a long time ago. Something I've never actually said to anyone. Marcus...I love you." Susan felt a hand rest on her shoulder. "Marcus?" She turned, really expecting him to be there this time.  
  
"No, Susan. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there is still one more phase in your life before you get to be with him."  
  
"You are the last person I expected to see now," Susan half laughed. "What're you-?"  
  
"Now isn't the time for questions, my old friend. There is a shuttle waiting outside. We must hurry. It seems I was almost too late." Susan nodded and stood up slowly, taking her old friend's arm.  
  
"All right, but I expect a full explanation as soon as we get to the shuttle."  
  
Draal reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a small device. He pushed the blue button on the top of it, put it back in his pocket, and hurried Susan out the door. 


	2. Chapter 2

I just want to say thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter one. This is actually my first fic ever, and you were all very encouraging. I hope you like chapter two!  
  
Disclaimer: See chapter one.  
  
"What was that?" Susan asked once they were outside.  
  
"A surveillance jammer."  
  
"What do you need a jammer for? Why all the secrecy?"  
  
"We needed to add some mystery to your 'death'. The recorders that saw you sitting there talking to Marcus saw a bright flash of light, then an empty bench. All they will find is your box and its contents."  
  
"All of its contents?"  
  
"Yes...why?"  
  
Susan looked down at herself to indicate her clothing. Draal looked closely at her for the first time and saw that she wasn't wearing the robes of Ranger One. He had been so concerned with getting her to the shuttle that he hadn't noticed. Just as he stopped to take the duster from her to put it back where it belonged, Susan swayed and started to sink toward the ground. He caught her around the waist and hurried on.  
  
"All right, I guess we can improvise that part. We have to get you to that shuttle."  
  
They continued on in silence until they reached the landing pad outside what was now David's home. The shuttle's ramp was already down, and there was a short, stooped figure at the bottom of it. Draal beckoned to him, and he came running over.  
  
"Zathrus, I need you to do something for me." He whispered a few instructions to his aide, and Zathrus quickly shuffled off while Draal escorted his fading guest onto the ship.  
  
After Susan was secured in a seat toward the front of the craft, she watched Draal head into the cockpit. She felt her heart flutter and her lungs start to constrict again. While her sense of responsibility wouldn't let her stop fighting for breath, she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out.  
  
"Draal..." she called, "if there's something...you need me to...do, then I suggest...we get on with it. I don't know...how much longer...I've got here." Draal returned from the cockpit with two small orange pills. Susan looked at them warily. "What are those?"  
  
"They are a variation of a pill the Centauri used to use before they had telepaths for deathbed scans. It was given to assault victims to keep them alive for a few extra hours to give them a chance to identify their attackers. I've altered it to work with human physiology, and it should give us enough time to get you back to Epsilon 3. Here, take them." He handed her the pills and a glass of water. After about ten minutes, Susan's eyes finally drifted shut from the exhaustion.   
  
When she opened her eyes again, her surroundings had changed. She was standing on the deck of one of the original Whitestars. Susan hadn't seen the inside of one of these in years. She walked over to the command chair and rested her hand on the arm. Her mind started to wander back to some of the times that she had sat in a chair very much like it. She turned to look at the station generally meant for the second in command, and her heart twinged slightly. She quickly looked away and realized that, other than the familiar ache, her heart was now beating steadily. Her breath was coming more evenly, and she stood straighter than she had in years.  
  
She looked down and saw a uniform she was certain didn't even exist anymore. It was her Army of Light uniform. The one that had been badly torn and burned in the explosion, and then cut from her broken body shortly afterward in the effort to save her. The memories came flooding back. She turned toward the front view port and wiped away a few tears.  
  
Confusion settled in as she realized that this dream was different from her usual nightmares. It put her in a place from her past like all the others, but this one let the memories stay in her head, instead of acting them out around her.  
  
"I'm sorry, Susan. The Machine was supposed to pick a place and time from your mind that you wanted to go back to. There must be a malfunction in that part of the system. I'll look into it at once." Susan turned toward Draal's voice and saw him sitting in the command chair.  
  
"So this isn't a dream? Where are we? What's going on?"  
  
"You are hooked into the Great Machine. I had a second conduit put in for you. In regards to the question of what's going on, that is a bit of a long story. Since the end of the Shadow War, I've spent a lot of time using the Great Machine to keep an eye on the future. I've seen some wonderful things, and some terrible things. One of the terrible things I saw was the near annihilation of Earth. In a little over four hundred years, Earth will have a civil war like nothing it's ever seen. Eventually, Nuclear weapons will be brought into it, and most of the Earth's surface will be badly damaged. The Interstellar Alliance will try to help, but the Earthers will refuse. They will blame technology for what happened, and revert to a self imposed dark age. The Alliance will send Rangers in covertly to ease them back into the galaxy, but it will take centuries.  
  
"The timeline splits right about there. One of the main guises the Rangers will take up is a religious order loosely associated with the Roman Catholic Church. The majority of the order is actually made up of ordinary people who think they are merely searching for the technological secrets of Pre-Burn Earth.  
  
"One of these, a Brother Michael, plays a doubly pivotal role in Earth's reemergence. First, he'll offer the arguments that get the order officially recognized. His passionate belief will so move the Pope that they will even get funding for their research. Then, later in life, he will marry and have a daughter. He will pass his unending faith on to her, and it will carry on generation after generation. Eventually, there will be another female descendant who will be responsible for bringing Earth back to the stars."  
  
Susan sat listening in confusion. "So where's the split in the timeline, and what's any of it got to do with me?"  
  
"The split is about a year before he appears before the Pope. Another delegate from the order has just gotten back from being turned down for recognition, and Brother Michael is having one of his many crises of faith. He gets some reassurance from a Brother Alwyn, who is one of the Rangers, but it doesn't help much. He goes back to his room and goes into a deep depression. He seriously contemplates committing suicide. On one side of the split he doesn't go through with it, and everything happens just like I told you. On the other side, he does go through with it, and Earth never makes it back into space. They are still planet bound when Sol goes nova.  
  
"The deciding factor is whether or not he has a conversation that solves his crisis of faith. The spiritual side of the order's belief system is built around the founders of what they call 'The Fabled Alliance'."  
  
"The founders of the Alliance were John and Delenn. I'm still not seeing my part."  
  
"As the passage of time turns your lives into history, there will be three people acknowledged as the founders; Delenn, for her role in creating it, Sheridan, for his role as the first Alliance President, and you, for your role in defending it. On Earth, by Brother Michael's time, you are being revered as a new Holy Trinity of sorts. The Blessed Sheridan, Delenn the Wise, and Ivanova the Strong. At that moment, what he needs more than anything is the strength to go on in the face of adversity. That's where you come in."  
  
"Oh, so we're time traveling. I thought the time rift had been sealed."  
  
"It has. You wouldn't have survived a trip that far forward in time anyway. No, we're just going to wait while time progresses normally."  
  
"We're going to wait? For hundreds of years? You've got to be kidding! In case you've forgotten, I'm on my death bed here!"  
  
"Not anymore. That's why you're connected to the Machine. It will extend your life almost indefinitely. It will also return you physically to a comfortable, more youthful state. Based on what I'm seeing now, it looks like you'll be going back to the body of your late twenties."  
  
"You mean to tell me that the Great Machine can actually make people younger? And keep them alive when they should be dead? Why was I never told about this?"  
  
"I didn't know until recently that it would work on anyone but me. It's supposed to be a feature that aids in extending the life of the Heart of the machine. However, your survival is so important to the Universe, that the option has been extended to you."  
  
"I don't believe it. All those years ago, there was something right under my nose that could have saved Marcus. Why couldn't this have come to light then?" She slumped slightly out of desperate frustration.  
  
"This isn't your fault, Susan. No one knew about this before now. Not even me. It would appear the Universe had other plans for him. It was out of our hands."  
  
Susan forced herself to regain some composure. "Exactly how long am I going to be here? When does this conversation have to take place?"  
  
"A thousand years. Maybe closer to nine hundred at this point. I'm sorry you'll be stuck here for so long, but I have to admit, it will be nice to have the company." 


	3. Chapter 3

See Chapter One for Disclaimer

A/N: Hey everyone. Sorry part three took so long. I hate when real life interrupts. Anyway, part four is already started, so hopefully there won't be another long wait. Thanks for hanging in there, and as always, reviews are welcomed and appreciated.

Brother Michael stared blankly at the unfinished illumination of the mythical Ranger. He had worked on this particular illumination for weeks, and had been nearly done. Then the news came. Brother Alwyn, his friend and mentor for the last ten years, had been killed in a village several miles away. He'd been off following a lead on some ancient artifacts supposedly related to the Interstellar Alliance.

When Brother Alwyn had left, he'd been very confident that these artifacts would provide proof that the Alliance really did exist. He'd been sure it would force Rome to recognize them. Michael had felt surer of his purpose than ever before as he watched Alwyn leave the monastery grounds. Now everything was crumbling around him.

The other members of the Order stayed just long enough to see their leader buried before beginning plans to leave. Without Brother Alwyn guiding them, there was nothing to keep them together. Now, a week after the funeral, Michael was one of only ten left, and two of them were due to leave that day.

Tears cascaded down Michael's face as he remembered his last conversation with Alwyn, three weeks earlier, and contemplated his future without him. Michael had joined the Order when he was fifteen, against his parents' wishes. They had cursed him and ridiculed him the day he left, so he knew he couldn't go back to them. He had no useful skills. His main abilities were philosophical study and illuminating the Holy Tomes. Neither of these things would get him very far in the real world.

He picked a letter opener up from the desk and spun it back and forth by the handle between his palms. He watched the light from his small oil lamp glint off of the tip as he plummeted deeper and deeper into despair. There was nothing left for him here. His entire world had revolved around Alwyn, the Order, and their search for Pre-Burn information. With Alwyn dead and the Order dispersing, the search was ended. His world was gone. His life was over. He began running the sharp edge of the letter opener lightly over his wrist. Just as he was about to add the defining pressure, he heard the door to his room creak open.

"What do you want?"

"In my experience, that's a very dangerous question," stated a female voice that Michael didn't recognize. "I'm here to talk to you about your work."

Without looking up or taking the blade from his wrist, he replied, "I have no work. Now go away. I'm busy."

Instead of a shutting door, Michael heard footsteps approach him and saw a shadow loom over him. A woman's hand reached over his shoulder and deftly snatched the letter opener from him.

"Not anymore, you're not. That's a very dangerous place to keep a letter opener. You could hurt yourself. Now, I've come a very long way to see you, so why don't you turn around and talk to me?"

"I told you, I have no work. How can I talk to you about my work when I have none? You really should just leave me be."

He heard footsteps start to move away from him, and felt relief wash over him as he waited for the door to open and close. The woman, whoever she was, was leaving. Then he realized that the door never opened. The steps actually started coming closer again! What was the infernal woman doing? Why wouldn't she just leave him alone? Then he heard her start to walk away again, immediately followed by another return trip. She was pacing! Michael began to get angry with this audacious stranger who had no regard for his wishes. He pushed himself up from his chair and spun toward her, fully intending to begin yelling, when his breath caught in his throat.

There, standing in the middle of his room, staring at him expectantly was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It wasn't her physical features that struck him as beautiful. He barely even noticed what she looked like. There was a presence about her that spoke to him in a way he had never imagined. Something about her went straight to the heart of him.

"Wh-who are you?" he stammered.

"That question I'm only mildly more comfortable with. So, you don't know who I am? I suppose that makes sense. It's not like you've ever seen a photograph of me or anything. Not with the state of things these days. I'm someone with a vested interest in your continued employment. Something that will be impossible if you do what I think you were just going to do before I walked in. What was that all about, anyway?"

While the mystery woman spoke, Michael began to look a bit more closely at her. There was something about her that seemed familiar; like he should know her. He wracked his brain for several moments, coming up with nothing. Then he focused on her clothes. He knew those clothes!

"That uniform...where did you get it? Where could you possibly have found clothes like that?"

The woman looked down at her black and silver clothing. "This old thing? It's mine. I've had it forever. Why?" A look of understanding then began to cross her face. "Ah, you're finally starting to realize who I am. I'll give you a hint. I'm not Delenn."

For the briefest moment, Michael began to hope again. Then he realized how silly he was being. It just wasn't possible. Doubt and despair resettled over his face like a cloud.

"Get out," he almost whispered.

"What? I come all this way, and you're telling me to get out? You're joking."

"No, I mean it. Get out now. I don't know who put you up to this, but it's a cruel joke to play on a man when he's grieving. Now get the hell out!"

"You think I'm joking? No, sweetheart, I'm not joking. I'm Susan Ivanova, and I've come a very long way to keep you from doing something monumentally stupid, and if the legacy of everything I worked for wasn't hanging by a thread right now, I'd just as soon let you do it. Unfortunately, you're far too important to waste."

Completely ignoring her obviously annoyed tone, he raised his head and looked her straight in the eye. His resolve wavered for a moment before he practically spat, "Prove it."

"Prove it? You want me to prove that I'm me? Oh, this is great. Just fragging great. And just how do you propose I do that? Hmm?"

"Tell me something only Ivanova the Strong would know."

"That's insane. That only works if you know something about the person that no one else knows. It's impossible." She started pacing again, trying to come up with a way to appease this pain in the neck so she could get down to business.

"Wait, I've got it. If I were some local girl trying to pull your leg, how would I know that there's an authentic Ranger uniform, complete with pin, in with Brother Alwyn's possessions? There's a diary confirming that he was a Ranger, too. Both are in his wardrobe. Go ahead and check. I'll wait." She leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest, looking very smug.

Completely dumbfounded, Michael walked over to the still locked wardrobe that had been moved to his room shortly after the funeral. He took the key from his pocket and opened it for the first time. There, in all its glory, was the uniform he recognized from the illumination. He removed a small, worn leather journal from the pocket and flipped through it, reading small snippets here and there.

The journal was full of Alwyn's ideas about his work. Not the Order's work. His work. There were notes about last year's gasoline discovery, and the request for the "artifact" drop. Then there was a short rant about the coordinate mistake for the drop. This was the last entry, made right before he left.

"How did you know? How could you possibly have known?"

"I died nine hundred years ago, Brother Michael," she grinned. "You know things when you go where I've been. Are you ready to listen now?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Susan spent the next several hours telling Brother Michael her side of the stories that had made it into his holy books. She told him about the Shadow War, and the Civil War, and all of the fear and hardship that went with them. She told him about Earth's destiny to return to the stars, but in such a way that she almost cringed when she realized how much she sounded like Kosh. She also told him about Marcus, who it seemed had become the anonymous archetype for their limited understanding of the Rangers.

Michael spent most of this time taking notes and planning. Occasionally, he would burst out with a comment about telling the others, or about keeping Alwyn's work alive. He eventually started to sag in his chair from the exhaustion, and the pen he'd been using to take his notes fell from his hand. Susan waited until she was sure he was asleep, then picked up his pen and a blank sheet of paper and wrote him a note. It read:

Dear Brother Michael,

There are two things you need to know before I go. First, never lose faith. You are destined to play a great role in history. Your work is meaningful, no matter how hard it gets.

Second, your work will mean a lot less than it could if you don't have love in your life. When it knocks, welcome it with open arms.

Susan 

Once back in her cloaked transport, Susan immediately set course for the return trip to Epsilon 3.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Several uneventful days later she arrived back at the Great Machine. She headed straight for CnC, as she'd affectionately dubbed it, and plugged herself in. Her mind made a quick scan to find Draal, and she found herself walking through the door of the room he'd created in his mind. As she entered, she heard what she recognized as a rather long string of Minbari expletives, and one word she recognized from the days before she spoke Minbari.

"Lumati? I haven't heard that name in a long time. What's wrong? I've only been gone about a week, and you sound like the whole universe is collapsing."

Draal spun to face her, looking like he'd been caught at something.

"Susan, I did not expect you to return. I thought you'd be eager for the end finally. What brought you back?"

"You didn't really think I'd go without saying goodbye, did you? You know how sentimental old age's made me. You still haven't told me what's wrong, by the way. And what does it have to do with the Lumati?"

"What? Oh, nothing you need to worry about. You've more than done your part. Come, sit. We'll talk for a while before you go. I'm going to be very lonely around here now. I've gotten used to the company."

Susan began pacing, her irritation beginning to show.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what happened, so unless you're planning on using this secret to keep me here, you may as well save yourself the trouble and give in. Is there still something wrong with the timeline? Did Brother Michael do something stupid after all?"

"No, Brother Michael does just fine. He gave a rather impressive speech to the remaining members of the Order the day after your visit. It looks as though the others will be returning, also. He will make a fine leader.

"The timeline is suffering again, though. The woman who is supposed to bring Earth back into space may never come into existence. The timeline is now showing that the woman who would be her grandmother is killed young, and this woman's son is sent into the orphan system and never taught the faith in technology that all of this depends on. If he does not know it, he can not pass it on to his children."

"So we'll just stop her from being killed. It's an easy fix."

"No Susan, if the woman survives, her murderers have a globally catastrophic plan B. It can't be risked."

"Who are these would be murderers? What makes them so dangerous?"

"The Lumati. They apparently sided with the Shadows, then the Drahk. They went crazy after the Drahk fell, and held Sheridan personally responsible. About eight hundred years ago, they developed Seers. Their Seers don't get details, thank Valen, but they do seem to be getting enough information to know who to target to do the most damage to Sheridan's Alliance. They won't be happy until it falls the way their allies did. They can't get at the people involved in the Alliance, so they are taking solace in attacks on Sheridan's home world."

"But that's ridiculous! Sheridan hadn't even been back to Earth in years when he died, and he's been gone for almost a thousand years! It's completely irrational!"

"Madness is an irrational thing. They were actually behind the civil war that led to the Great Burn, but there was no way around it. They were also responsible for Brother Alwyn's death."

Susan's mind reeled as she remembered the creepy Lumati Ambassador she'd dealt with back before the wars. There had been rumors about them, but there had never been any proof, and the rumors came from dubious sources. They seemed harmless enough, so nothing had been done.

"So what's next? If we can't stop the murder, what do we do?"

"The only hope would be for the son to be sent to a surrogate family that would teach him what he needs to know, but there isn't anyone. Every possible scenario actually shows him being raised in an actively anti-technology family. I'm out of ideas."

"I'll go," Susan blurted. Draal quickly hid the satisfied smile that tried to show itself, replacing it with the most convincing look of shock he could muster.

"Are you sure? You've been waiting so patiently for the end, and you were eager to go. This will be a much longer wait than the last time."

"I guess I'm not as eager to go as I thought. A taste of immortality can be a dangerous thing. Now that death doesn't seem quite so inevitable, I'm not as okay with it as I was. Besides, I was never fond of the Lumati, and I'll be damned if I'm letting them get away with destroying everything John and Delenn created. Can the Machine sustain me?" Susan paused, taking in Draal's last sentence. "Exactly how much longer are we talking here, anyway?"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry this took so long. No more promises of short waits, I guess. I do promise I won't abandon it, though. It's become a labor of love, I guess, and I will definitely see it through. And I promise the title change is not a cop-out. It just seemed like a better title.

The Universe Blinked

Part 4

_Minbar, Earth Year 8262_

_"To take back from the Chaos that which is ours."_

After a day and a half of studying that line in his office, Dr. Vicari Marray had decided he needed a change of scenery. Now he sat in the back section of the cryogenics storage ward, among the subjects of his other major project, which he'd been neglecting for the last week.

These were the telepaths rescued from a fate of forced service to the Shadows during their last war. It had been his goal for over a decade to successfully revive these poor people, treated as tools by two major factions who saw the younger races as pawns in a sick power struggle.

As he contemplated the few known facts surrounding their plight, his mind wandered back to the line of text that was causing him so much stress. Details started falling into place, and realization hit him full force.

"I've got it!" he yelled in his native tongue. "Great Maker, I've got it!"

"Dr. Sheridan, please report to the Cryogenics Ward, exam room one. You are needed urgently."

Jathenn sighed at the intercom page and turned to face the woman on his com-panel. "I'm sorry, Robyn, but I have to go. Exam room one is where the emergency cases come in. I have to get down there."

"It's all right. If anyone understands duty, it's me. You go ahead and do your Chief-of-Staff thing. I still have to finish these evaluations so I can pick Mikey up from the sitter's. Just give me a call later if you're not making it home for dinner."

"I'll do my best. I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll see you tonight."

The screen went blank, and his wife's face was replaced with the Alliance insignia. Jathenn got up from behind his desk and headed for the office door. He stepped out into the hallway and activated the link on the back of his left hand.

"Rynenn, this is Dr. Sheridan. What's the situation down there?"

"Doctor, thank Valen you responded." The female voice on the other end sounded shaken. "If I did not know better, I would say Dr. Marray was having a fit."

"What do you mean, having a fit?" he asked, continuing down the hall. "What's he doing?"

"He is circling the ward's waiting area, mumbling in Centauri. I do not know what he is saying, but he has been this way ever since he finished studying the shipment from his home world."

"I didn't know anything about a shipment from Centauri Prime. What was in it?"

"I do not know, Doctor. I assumed it was a cryo-unit, since it was sent directly to this ward. It arrived a week ago, but I have not actually seen it. Dr. Marray has not let anyone in since it got here."

"Okay, I'm on my way now. I'll figure it out." Jathenn cut the link as he stepped into the transport tube. "Cryogenics level one," he instructed the computer as the tube's doors slid shut.

He darted back out of the tube as soon as it reached its destination, and rushed down the hall to find that the lab technician hadn't exaggerated at all. His usually laid back collegue was practically bouncing around the waiting room.

"In Valen's name, what's going on? You're scaring the lab techs."

"_What's going on_?" Vicari practically yelled. "_What's going on_, Jathenn, is that _everything _we've been working toward is about to become reality! The SFY Corporation found the clue we've been waiting for in the Selini dig, and they just delivered it to our doorstep! Come on, you have to see this!"

Jathenn was abruptly pulled into the first exam room, and found himself looking at a scene he didn't entirely understand. Some sort of pod occupied the examination table in the center of the room. It had the general shape of a traditional cryo-unit, but that was where the similarities ended. The green and black color scheme, shifting and swirling like living ooze, seemed vaguely familiar, but was definitely not something he'd come into contact with before. It was also covered with what he assumed was writing, but in a language he didn't recognize.

Dr. Marray walked over to the odd unit and touched a spot on the side. The top started to open, exposing a young woman with dark hair and olive skin. At first it looked like she was dead, but her chest rose and fell once after a few seconds.

"What the…who is she? Where did she come from?" Jathenn asked.

"From what I've been able to determine, she's in a sort of metabolic stasis, very similar to our cryogenic freeze. I haven't found her name in any records yet, but I'm still trying to translate them. Translating a language that's been dead for thousands of years, and not well known even before it died, isn't exactly easy."

"What language, Vic? Where is she from? She looks human."

"She is human. Her stasis unit isn't, though. You'll never believe where this thing came from. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't found the language match."

"Just tell me. I'm losing patience."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…okay, look at this," Dr. Marray walked over to a computer screen and started hitting controls on the pad. The screen showed a large number of symbols Jathenn couldn't read, but that he recognized from the outside of the stasis unit. "This side," he said, indicating the left side of the screen, "is a list of the symbols on the outside of the stasis unit. This matching list to the right is the database match. This is the Vorlon language file, Jay! I checked it three times, and it matches perfectly!"

Jathenn was dumbfounded. This was the find of a lifetime, even if it didn't help their project. All of the home worlds of the elder races known as the First Ones had been closed off or destroyed after their exodus. Missions had been launched over the centuries to attempt to gain access to some of the remaining worlds, but with no success, and a low survival rate. If this truly was the Vorlon language, being used in a translatable context, then perhaps they could unlock it and use it to gain access to the most coveted world of the lot.

"How much have you translated? What do we know?"

"Well, for days, all I could figure out was what it was and how to open it. Then, just yesterday, I translated a piece of what looks like a mission description. It roughly translates to, 'To take back from the Chaos that which is ours.' This girl was sent to free the telepaths trapped inside the Shadow ships buried on Selini! If we wake her up, she can probably tell us how she would have done that, and we can use her method to wake the telepaths we have here!" He paused to catch his breath for a moment before continuing. "About twenty minutes before you got here, I found something claiming to be instructions on how to bring her out of stasis safely. I wanted your approval to try waking her up."

Jathenn paced the floor in front of the computer screen for a few minutes, and then walked over to the stasis unit. As he looked down at the girl inside, he thought of all the possibilities her existence brought up. Not only might he be able to wake the frozen telepaths and gain access to the Vorlon home world, but they may also be able to get real details about the days before the Alliance. Most of that time had fallen into myth ages ago. This had the potential to be a bigger discovery than his friend realized. He ran his hand through his hair and over the slight bone crest at the back of his head.

"We'll wake her up first thing tomorrow. Keep it quiet for now, though. I don't want anyone to know about this until we have something to show for it. Right now, we should go home and get some rest."

"Oh, I won't be getting any rest tonight. I'm too wound up. I think I'll just stay here and keep working on the translations. You should definitely go see your wife and son, though. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

* * *

Robyn ducked into a roll as the staff came at her head. She swung her own weapon out high behind her as she came to her feet, and spun to face her opponent. He held his staff on level with hers in an effort to block the anticipated blow to his head, so she flipped the other end forward, meaning to take his legs out from under him. He jumped up and back onto a crate in the middle of the room, then launched himself into a twisted flip that brought him over Robyn's head. She took advantage of his seconds in the air and turned with her staff low, on level with his legs as he landed. She swept the weapon in a wide arc, knocking him on his back. She disarmed him, and then pivoted her weapon down to rest at his throat.

"Stop clock!" she shouted.

"Very good, Ni'Sten," she said between ragged breaths, retracting her den'bok and sliding it back into the holster at her hip. She offered her student a hand up and glanced at the timer flashing on the wall. "You held me off for fifteen minutes. I'm very impressed."

"My thanks, Sech Daniels. I am honored to have been your student. I look forward to receiving the results of my evaluation."

"As well you should. I'm not supposed to discuss student evaluations until I've filed the documentation, but let's just say I'm sure you'll have your pick of positions after initiation. You're a gifted fighter. Come back first thing tomorrow, and we'll have the official discussion."

Ni'Sten nodded and bowed to his mentor in the traditional Narn manner. Robyn returned the gesture and watched the young Narn walk away.

Turning toward her office on the other side of the sparing hall, she noticed a slight ache in her right leg. She'd conducted all five of her physical evaluations today, and she knew this ache would repeat itself in several other parts of her body before long.

After two hours of preparing the evaluation paperwork, a trip to the sitter's to retrieve her son, and a long walk home carrying the sleeping eight-year-old, she finally arrived at her front door. She let herself in, put Mikey in his bed, where she suspected he'd stay for the night, and sank onto the sofa in the living room. She took a few minutes to collect her thoughts, and then considered making something for dinner. It was a brief consideration, as she realized that her desire to sit was much stronger than her desire to eat.

"Computer, play messages, low volume."

There were several messages from her students, wondering if there was any possibility of getting their marks early. There was a message from her secretary that her husband had called several minutes after she left. The last message was from Jay.

"Hi sweetheart," said the familiar voice through the speaker, "I just called your office, and Danay said you had gone home. I was hoping I'd catch you. Anyway, I have great news. The most amazing thing has happened. I can't wait to tell you all about it. Oh, and I'm picking dinner up at that new Centauri place on the corner on the way home, so don't cook. I love you."

Glad she had decided to listen to the messages first, she was about to pick up a book when she heard the front door open. She jumped up, running to meet Jay and keep him from waking Mikey. She threw herself into his arms, kissed him, and then put her finger to her lips to warn him to talk softly.

"Hi hun. What's the big news?" she whispered. She grabbed the take-out bag from him with one hand, and grabbed his arm with the other hand to lead him into the living room.

"You're not going to believe it! A stasis unit was shipped to us from Centauri Prime!"

"Jay, you get cryo-tubes delivered all the time."

"No no no, not a cryo-tube -- a stasis unit. A stasis unit of Vorlon origin. An archaeological corporation delivered it. The unit, and the person in it, dates back to the last Shadow War!"

They pulled dinner out of the bag and lit some candles on the table. Robyn listened for over an hour as Jay told her every detail he could recall. She was thrilled for him. She understood what this meant to her husband, but she was also afraid for him.

Throughout the Alliance, there were those who felt that long-term cryogenic freezing was immoral and unethical, and many of them were a bit fanatical about it. Ten years ago, a doctor on one of the planets in the Brakiri system was killed during one of their protests. So far, the location of the Franklin Memorial Institute had been enough to keep the protesters at bay, but this little revelation could change everything.

"Jay, who knows about this? You didn't go to the media, did you?"

"No, of course not. The only people who know about this are you, me, and Vic. I haven't even told the President yet."

"Good," she said, relieved. "Do me a favor and let me know before you go public with this so I can put a good security team together for you."

"Don't worry, you'll be the first to know. I'm not in this to become a martyr."

"That's good to hear. That means you won't have a problem with my sending one bodyguard to you in the meantime. Under cover, of course."

"Well," he sighed, "if you think it's a good idea, I won't argue. I think it's overkill, but you're the expert."

"It's settled, then. Someone will meet you outside the hospital in the morning." She leaned over and kissed him softly, playfully biting his lip a bit as she pulled back. "Now, we celebrate."


	5. Chapter 5

Well, this is the fastest I've ever gotten a part written and edited, mostly thanks to the fact that my beta reader was staying with me last week. Thanks Sarah! Also, thanks to Emma for helping me out with some medical terminology.

The Universe Blinked

Part 5

"Damn it, are you sure this is the correct translation? Her heart rate is off the scale! If something doesn't happen soon, her heart will explode!"

"Relax," Vicari said calmly, having regained his composure since last night, "everything's fine. I'm sure it probably has something to do with whatever the Vorlons did to her before they put her in there."

"How could you possibly know that? The Vorlons weren't exactly known for sharing. What if 'whatever they did to her' is a trap to keep her out of enemy hands?" Jathenn started pacing the operating room, nervously glancing at the EKG monitor every other second.

"Ah, your human side rears its ugly head. I'm telling you, don't worry. I have a hunch she'll stabilize any minute now."

Jathenn, stopping on the far side of the room, was about to start another anxious tirade when the frantic beeping of the monitor fell into a slower, steadier pattern. Vic, looking rather smug, walked over to the girl and injected her with something.

"What was that? Don't tell me you managed to dig a formula out of that mess."

"Actually, no. It's a serum to temporarily block her telepathic abilities. I found it in a pre-Alliance era medical file."

"You're blocking her? Will you be sealing her eyes shut as well?" Jathenn asked sarcastically.

Vic rolled his eyes, a bit annoyed by his friend's shortsightedness. "Have you thought this through at all? Let's take a look at the facts: one, her brain has been dormant for thousands of years; two, any time we bring someone out of cryo, there is a minute or two where brain activity spikes; three, a major brain function for telepaths is scanning; and four, we have to assume she was altered by the Vorlons. There is a good chance she'll be the strongest telepath we've ever dealt with."

"All right," Jathenn grudgingly admitted, "it's for her own good. How long until she wakes up?"

Vic glanced at the clock. "Right about…now." The EEG monitor spiked, and the girl's body jerked. Her eyes popped open and darted back and forth, taking in her surroundings. She focused on Vic, getting a worried look appearing on her face. She stared at him hard, and her worry seemed to turn to panic. Opening her mouth to scream, she managed only a whisper.

Jathenn walked over to the table and smiled down at the girl. She seemed to relax slightly when she looked at him, but it was short-lived. He realized her looks of concentration were attempts to scan them.

"Calm down, it's okay," he said soothingly. "You were in stasis a lot longer than you were meant to be. We gave you a drug to temporarily block your talent, because we didn't know if you'd have control of it immediately." He reached out to her and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. "You're on Minbar now, and you're safe. No one here is going to hurt you." He saw her start to calm down. She moved to sit up, but was stopped by the precautionary restraints.

"Easy now, don't try to get up yet. You've been through quite a bit, and I doubt you could balance yet. I know this might seem odd, but what you need right now is to get some sleep. You're body has used more energy in the last half hour than it has for a long time. We're going to move you to a rehydration room to get some moisture back into your system, and when you wake up, we'll try some food."

The girl looked up at him, the fear and tension slowly fading. Whatever it was about him that she found soothing he couldn't begin to imagine, but he was glad for it.

* * *

"Come in. Have a seat." Robyn indicated a spot next to her on the floor. Ni'sten, standing in the doorway, looked confused by the lack of formality in his teacher's manner. She couldn't help but smile as he approached and slowly lowered himself to the floor. He seemed to be waiting for her to change her mind and reprimand him.

"Don't look so nervous. You did beautifully on your evaluation. Here," she said, handing him a copy of the report, "see for yourself. You managed the first perfect score I've given in five years."

Ni'sten opened to the first page and immediately began to relax. "I am honored that you hold my skills in such high esteem. Thank you."

"Don't thank me, you earned that score. Now, if you like, I'd be happy to discuss the details. If you turn to page two, we can-"

"Sech Daniels?" Robyn's head snapped up at the sound of her aide's voice. Being out of the field for so long had left some of her once finely tuned observatory skills a bit stale. There had been a time when the top most skilled Alliance spies couldn't get past her. Now even her aide was able to startle her at every turn.

"Yes?" she sighed, momentarily longing for the past.

"I apologize for the interruption, but you have an emergency call coming in on the secure channel."

"Right, put it through to my office," she instructed as she turned back to her student. "Ni'sten, I'm sorry, but I have to take this. While I'm gone, why don't you read through that report? When I get back, I'll answer any questions and talk to you about your options."

He nodded his acknowledgement and immediately bent his head to the task. She turned and followed her aide toward her office, her heart pounding.

Nine years. It had been more than nine years since she'd received a secure channel transmission. Back then, of course, it was a common occurrence; part of the job description. Not anymore. This was the first one since she'd started teaching, and she couldn't even begin to guess what it was about.

By the time she reached her desk, the call had already been rerouted. The familiar Ranger insignia flashed on the panel as she sat down and answered the call.

"Entil'zha," she formally greeted the half-Minbari woman on the screen, "it's been too long. How are you?" She offered the most carefree smile she could manage.

"Honestly, I've been better. As much as I wish this were a social call, I actually need your help."

Robyn noticed the strain on her friend's face and began to understand the gravity of the situation. "I'll do whatever I can, Kate, you know that. What's going on?"

"Do you remember the last case you worked on before you started teaching?"

"Of course, the Kymer situation. There was a lot of room for disaster in that one. I finished it up about a week before Jay and I got married. I was never happier to lay a case to rest."

"Well," Kate grimaced, "it's not resting as peacefully as we'd hoped. I've recently received some very reliable intelligence that they're on the move again, and this time they're not sticking to basic raiding. They've got several major colonies targeted for invasion."

"Whose colonies? The only outside races with colonies are the Akyshlan and the Deairus. The Deairus are in talks to join the Alliance now, and the Akyshlan colonies are of little to no value."

"That's just it, they're not staying outside the Alliance. They're targeting member colonies."

Robyn stared past the COM screen, struggling to comprehend what she'd just heard. "Are they crazy?" she exclaimed. "I mean, of course they're crazy, but are they thinking at all? The Alliance constitution expressly prohibits any actions taken against another member! No race has had the nerve to even think about something like this since the Alliance's early days!"

"I know. The President and the council are very disturbed. They've read your reports on the raids. They want you working on this, but you'll have to come to Yedor. The decision is being left up to you."

"Geez, I don't know. I mean, I guess Mikey's old enough that I can leave him for a bit, but Jay just got really busy at work…"

"I don't need an answer right this minute. Think it over, talk to Jathenn. I will need an answer by tomorrow, though. You'd need to be debriefed as soon as possible."

"Yes, of course. I understand."

"Good. I have to go. I'm needed in meetings all day today, but call me as soon as you decide. My aide has instructions to relay any messages from you."

The screen went blank as the transmission ended, but Robyn continued to stare at it. How could this possibly be happening? Did the Kymer understand the sanctions they'd be facing? Or the weaponry? They were a young race. What could possibly drive them to something so foolish?

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get it to make sense. Eventually, she just gave up and went back to her meeting.


	6. Chapter 6

The Universe Blinked

Part 6

"Dad, do we have to tell Mom about this? She's gonna be really mad."

"I think she'll notice your black eye." Jathenn tried to suppress a grin as he saw the look of resignation cross his young son's face. He opened the front door and put his hand on the boy's back, gently urging him forward. "There's no use worrying. Let's just get you inside and get this over with."

He stopped in the hall, listening for a sign that his wife was home. He heard dishes clinking and headed for the back of the house, Michael slowly following.

"Hello? Any beautiful women lurking about?" Jathenn called, hoping to judge her mood.

"I'm in the kitchen," he heard her call back. "I'm glad you're home. I need to talk to you."

"I need to talk to you about something, too," he said as he stepped into the kitchen. "You see, there was an incident today, and…" Robyn never turned to look at him. She just continued setting the table. "Sweetheart, are you listening?"

"Hmm? What? Yeah, sure, incident. Did you get Mikey from school? Where is he?"

"I'm right here, Mom," Michael offered, keeping his head low as he stepped out from behind his father. "Please don't be mad. It wasn't my fault."

Robyn finally seemed to snap out of her daze as she looked up from the table and focused on Michael's bruised and scratched face. Two determined steps later, she was kneeling in front of him with his chin in her hand. She inspected his bruises.

"Okay, mister, I'm listening."

"You know that new kid at school I told you about?"

"Akyis? Sure. You said he was 'pretty neat'."

"Yeah, well, he's not. He's a jerk. He was calling me names. He said I'm dirty, and my family is a bunch of freaks."

"Why would he say that?"

"His teacher says they were learning Alliance history, and Michael's heritage came up." Jathenn offered.

Robyn released his face and rose to her feet, turning her back on the trembling boy. "Go to your room," she told him through clenched teeth.

"But Mom, I didn't do anything. He hit me."

"Now, Michael. Go."

Jathenn watched the boy, tears in his eyes, leave the room. "Don't you think you're over-reacting a bit?" he asked. He'd never seen her this angry before. He reached out to touch her arm, but she jerked away from him.

"Over-reacting? You, of all people, think I'm over-reacting? Damn it, Jay, where did he get the idea that it's okay to act like that?"

"What are you talking about? He didn't start this fight. He-"

"Who is this Akyis kid, anyway? I want to talk to his parents."

"Actually, that might not be so easy. His parent," he said, emphasizing the singular, "is the new Kymer ambassador. He's been pretty tied up."

Robyn gripped the back of a chair so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her face, on the other hand, achieved a very intense shade of red. "Are you all right?" he asked nervously.

"Kymer? This kid is Kymer? That's what they teach their kids? Son of a-, that's it. I'm taking the job."

"What job? What's wrong?"

"You're cousin called me today. She offered me a-"

The com-system picked that moment to start chiming happily, and the panel in the kitchen flashed the Institute's insignia.

"Damn. Honey, I'm sorry, I have to take this. I told Vic only to call if there was an emergency," he said, connecting the call.

"Thank the gods you answered," Vic blurted before Jathenn could even say hello. "She woke up early. She's very agitated, and she keeps saying your name."

"She's speaking, then? That's a good sign."

"Yes. Right now it's just a raspy whisper, but there shouldn't be any real damage to her vocal chords. The problem, however, is that she's due for her next dose of sleepers. I can't get her calm enough to give her the injection, and we don't need them wearing off while she's like this."

"Ah, hell…okay, I'll be there soon. Keep her isolated till I get there, and have a partial dose ready when I get there. I want her unblocked as soon as safely possible. End call."

* * *

After half-heartedly kissing her husband goodbye, Robyn spent the next several minutes pacing the kitchen. Her mind was reeling from the events of the day, and she was experiencing a level of rage that was wholly new to her. Where did anyone, let alone an ambassador to the Alliance, get off thinking like that in this day and age? And to teach those thoughts to children. Prejudice against the half-Minbari had died out centuries ago. She fully intended to bring this to Kate's attention. 

Her pacing eventually took her out of the kitchen, into the hall, and past Mikey's room. She was torn from her thoughts by the sound of crying and incoherent mumbling.

Her heart broke at the sound as she remembered how she'd spoken to him. He was too young to have understood what was really going on. She opened the door and stepped inside, wanting nothing more than to comfort her little boy.

"Mikey?" she called softly. He was curled up in a ball, his head buried in a pillow. "Sweetie, you okay?" She sat at the foot of his bed and put a hand on his back, which caused him to jump. He sat up fast and hurled himself into her arms.

"Mom, I swear I didn't wanna fight. The other kid started it. I tr-" he stopped mid word, starting to choke on his tears.

"Shhh. It's okay, baby. It's okay. I'm sorry I scared you. I'm not mad at you. I know you don't pick fights. That's my good boy. Shhh." She rubbed his back and stroked his hair, waiting for him to calm down.

"So I'm not in trouble?" he finally asked through sniffles.

"No, you're not in trouble. You didn't do anything wrong."

"How come you got so mad, then?" He sat back and rubbed at his red, tear stained face.

"Don't worry about that. it's complicated grown-up stuff. All you need to know is that I'm not mad at you, and that I love you very much."

"Love you too, Mom," he told her, hugging her again. She was pretty sure he'd managed to wipe his runny nose on her shoulder, but she didn't really care just then. Clothes could be cleaned. Nothing was more precious than moments like this with her child.

"Okay, let's go wash your face." He nodded at her, and she couldn't help but smile. "I have to make an important call, but how about dinner at the park afterward?"

"At the park? Yay! Is Dad coming?"

"Nope. Just you and me tonight kiddo. Dad had to go back to work."

* * *

Jathenn stood outside the mystery girl's room and watched her through the one-way window. She was pulling against her restraints, and she looked like a frightened child. Her vocal chords were working at near normal level now, but she was too upset to manage words. His heart broke to watch her like this. He took the syringe from Vic and stepped into the room. 

She was startled by the sound of the door as it closed behind him, and whipped her head around to look at him. He sat down on a stool by her bed and held her hand for a moment, trying to calm her down. She started trying to talk, but Jathenn immediately began speaking over her.

"Hold on a minute. I know you have a lot to say, and I want to hear every word. There's just another matter we have to attend to first." He held up the syringe, and she shied away from him as much as her bonds would allow. She made a high-pitched wimpering sound, and a tear formed in her eye. "Shh, it's okay," he reassured her, "I'm not trying to hurt you. I know the sleepers must be horrible. They're only temporary. You've been gone for quite a while, and we'd rather start your update at a normal, spoken rate than all at once. This is only a partial dose. It will only last for about three hours. I need you to trust me."

The girl visibly relaxed, and he gave her the injection. He put the empty syringe away and smiled down at her. "Okay, let's talk. What's your name?"

"Alisa," she whispered, not quite used to speaking yet. "My name is Alisa Beldon."

"Alisa. Good. Now, I'm told you know my name. How?"

"Who doesn't know about Captain Sheridan?"

"I'm afraid you've lost me. My name is Sheridan, but I'm not a Captain. I'm a doctor."

Alisa looked perplexed for a minute, but quickly brightened as something seemed to dawn on her. "I know," she announced, "you must be his brother. I think I remember Susan mentioning a brother."

"Sorry, wrong again. I'm an only child. Who's Susan?"

"Oh, that's right," she said, seemingly to herself, "it was a sister." Confusion started to set in again when she remembered his question. "Susan. You know, Commander Susan Ivanova? Second in command of Bablyon 5?"

"You knew Susan Ivanova? You spoke to her?" Jathenn's jaw dropped as realization in the form of old history classes flooded in. "Then you must think I'm…"

"Captain John Sheridan. Yes, I thought so for a minute. You look almost exactly like the vid feeds. Are you related to him?"

"Commander Susan Ivanova and Captain John Sheridan." Now it was his turn to talk to himself. The old titles sounded foreign to him. Historical archives usually remembered them as President Sheridan and Entil'zha Ivanova. He looked up at this wonder of a girl with amazement in his eyes. "Did you know Captain Sheridan?"

"No, I never met him. I heard lots about him from Susan and Delenn, though. I'm sorry, Ambassador Delenn."

Jathenn thought he might faint. He'd known she was from their time, but he'd never imagined she would know them.

"So," she said, interrupting his thoughts, "if you're not John Sheridan, then who are you? And how long was I out, anyway?


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry this chapter is so short. It looked alot longer written long hand, and I didn't want toforce it to be longer once it was typed. See chapter 1 for disclaimers.

**The Universe Blinked**

**Part 7**

Alisa Belden, having been released from her restraints during the course of Jathenn's explanation, now sat on the edge of her bed. She'd been silent for the last three hours, and remained that way as she tried to process it all. Jathenn sat back in his chair and waited for her reaction.

"So you're telling me that I've been M.I.A for more than five thousand years? It was only supposed to be a few days," she whined, "maybe a week at the outside." Jathenn supposed she must have noticed that she'd sounded like a child, because she shook her head slightly and adopted a more professional tone. "Did the unit's event log say what happened?"

"We haven't been able to decrypt many of the files, and the few we have decrypted take hours to translate. We have a pretty good idea what happened, though. You were found in the ruins of Selini on Centauri Prime."

"Ruins? I was told that it was an inhabited island."

"It was, until Emperor Mollari the Second blew it up. It's a good thing you were still in that stasis unit. It's all that saved you."

"So it was all for nothing. Months of secret meetings and planning. Hours of training and programming. All for nothing."

"Maybe not," Jathenn told her, happy to have good news for her. "It's too late for the telepaths in those ships, but we have some guests here in the cryogenics wing who have been waiting a long time to meet someone like you."

* * *

"Sech Daniels for the Entil'zha. Tell her I've made a decision." Robyn fiddled with the knick-knacks on her desk while she waited for Kate to come to the COM. It took all of her will power to keep her anger at bay. 

"Robyn? Hello. I wasn't expecting to hear from you until tomorrow. Is this a good sign?" Kate's face was one big network of worry lines, and she had dark circles under her eyes. She actually looked worse than she had earlier.

"Yes, it's a good sign. I've talked with Jay, and I've decided. I'll take the job. I can be there in two days. I just have to make some arrangements."

"That's good to hear. You've just made my life infinitely easier. I'm going to go let the Council know." A portion of her stress seemed to melt away instantly. "Report to my office the minute you land in Yedor, and be prepared for a briefing. I'll see you in two days."

* * *

The freezer-lined walls of the cryonic storage room loomed over the only two conscious occupants in a patchwork of metal and tiny colored lights. As the door slid shut behind them, Jathenn closed his eyes for a moment and let the soft hum of the machinery penetrate his cluttered mind. Spending time in this hope filled room always helped to remind him why he was in this field. 

"Speaking of reminders," Alisa said, interrupting his train of thought, "don't forget that you wanted to make some introductions while we were here."

"I see the sleepers have worn off," he laughed. "How are you feeling?"

"Oops, sorry. I didn't mean to scan you. It's just that I've never felt a human broadcast contentment quite that strongly."

"Don't forget, I'm also Minbari. Are you ready to go, or do you need a few minutes?"

"I'm more than ready. I guess I've been waiting for this for thousands of years. Let's go." She took several steps toward the door at the opposite end of the room as if she knew exactly where to go, then stopped short and turned a bright shade of red. "I did it again. I'm so sorry!"

Jathenn put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and guided her forward. "It's okay. I don't know the details, but I figured the Vorlons would have enhanced your abilities." He punched in his security code at the door and stood back to let Alisa enter. He watched with anticipation as the telltale look of concentration crossed her face.

"How many did you say there were?"

"Sixty eight, why?"

"Are you sure? Besides you and me, there's only one other living mind in this room. You seem to be missing a few."

Jathenn's heart leapt into his throat as he rushed to the band of freezers on the right hand wall. He started frantically checking the status on each freezer. He was relieved to see that they were all running at full capacity.

"You had me going for a minute there, " he admonished. "You have an odd sense of humor."

"I'm not joking. I don't know how your equipment works, but I think it's malfunctioning. I'm telling you, there are only three live minds in this room. How long have they been in these freezers, anyway?"

"They're the original units. The records show that the original caretakers didn't fully understand the technology, but they figured it out eventually, and they adapted it to work with the systems they had. There haven't been any problems since then." He was beginning to lose faith in his miracle girl.

"You can doubt me all you want," she huffed, "but I'm telling you, they're dead."


	8. Chapter 8

Okay everyone, here's part 8. I hope I've made it worth the four month wait!

See chapter one for disclaimers.

**The Universe Blinked**

**Chapter 8**

Susan maneuvered the shuttle into a cavern in the Geneva ruins and scanned for Draal's signal. There were no active satellites in orbit due to the current anti-tech political shift, so the uplink was slow. She had about five minutes to kill so she started scanning the easier to find radio signals. There were several music stations, a talk station discussing the recent Presidential debate, and a news station reporting that the government was finally getting the upper hand against the extremists. Just before the uplink was completed, the news station switched stories, and her heart leapt into her throat. There was a glitch in the plan.

She turned off the newscast and opened the audio-only receiver as the connection was made.

"Draal? Are you there?"

"Ah, you've arrived safely. Good. How was your trip?"

"It was fine, but this really isn't the time for small talk. I just heard a local news report that the Geneva demolition plans have changed."

"Changed? What happened? Do we need to make other plans for the shuttle?"

"No, the shuttle will be destroyed. The problem is that I don't have nearly as much exit time as we'd hoped. It happens in three hours, and I'll need at least two and a half to clear the blast radius."

"I won't keep you, then. Make sure you have your signed orders out to show to Edward. He'll meet you 5 miles outside the city limits with money, official documents, including a bank account number and identification papers, several days' worth of clothing, a plane ticket to Cairo, and the child. Obviously, he hasn't been told who you really are. No one has. You and I are the only living beings who know your true identity, and since this will be our final contact , you will completely cease to be Susan Ivanova. I admit, though, that your choice of name causes some concern for me."

"We've been over this," she said warmly. "You know it's the only name I could possibly have that won't trip me up, and even now, my first name is so common that no one will ever make a connection."

"That is true, but I worry that you are still punishing yourself. Especially because of the name you have chosen for the child."

"You worry too much. I stopped beating myself up about that a long time ago. It just wasn't meant to be. This was. I think it's an approproate tribute."

"Well," Draal sighed in resignation, "Marc is a lucky little boy to have such a wise, insightful mother. And speaking of destinies, it is now time for you to meet yours."

"It certainly is," she said as she checked the ships clock. She paused for a moment before continuing. "Draal, I just want to thank you for being such a good friend. I'll miss you."

"And I you. It was wonderful having you with me, but now we must both move on to the next stages in our lives. Now go, or it will all have been for nothing."

Susan placed her hand on the speaker, as if the could feel her old friend through it, before severing the connection. She made sure the letter from the current Ranger One was in the front pocket of her jacket, picked up a small backpack with food and water from beside her seat, and made her way up to ground level for her first real look at what Earth had become.

* * *

The com alert sounded as Robyn shut her suitcase.

"Answer," she barked at it without turning around. "Where the hell are you? You were supposed to be home hours ago!"

"Do I want to know what my darling cousin has done to make you sound like that?" Kate asked with a slight smirk as Robyn turned to look at the screen.

"Entil'zha, I apologize! It's just that Jathenn's been at the hospital all night, and I still haven't told him about my assignment." Robyn's concern for her own situation was not eased as a look of panic slowly replaced the smile on her superior's face.

"This isn't going to postpone your arrival, is it? The Council is anxious get you started. Intelligence is coming in quickly, and they want you to start analyzing it immediately."

"No, nothing's changed. My flight doesn't leave for another four hours. I have plenty of time to go to the hospital and talk to him there."

"Good. I'll see you tonight, then." The screen went blank, and Robyn sat on the edge of her bed. She took a few minutes to calm her frustrations, and then left the house to get the dreaded conversation over with.

* * *

Jathenn closed the lid of the cryo-unit as Vicari helped Alisa to a nearby chair. He turned to look at this amazingly strong girl as his assistants wheeled the unit from the room. Her hair was matted with sweat, her skin was flushed, her breath was coming in ragged gasps, and she was trembling slightly. She was pushing herself much harder than she was willing to admit.

"Maybe we should take a break," he suggested. "You should get some rest, and you need to eat something."

Her head snapped up from its slumped position, and all signs of strain left her face. She adopted the "don't mess with me" look that Jathenn had quickly become familiar with.

"No, we're not stopping. Bring in the next one."

"But-"

"No. Every one we confirm dead brings us that much closer to the survivor. I want him found. I was too late for the rest, but I _will_ save him."

Sensing the futility of arguing with her, Jathenn nodded and went to the com panel to have the next unit sent up. The tech on the other end looked confused when he saw Jathenn's face on his screen.

"Is something wrong, Doctor?"

"No, just tired," he said, assuming he must look like death warmed over, "but we're ready for the next unit."

"What next unit? I already sent the last one."

"That's impossible," Alisa stated firmly. Jathenn nearly jumped out of his skin. He hadn't heard her walk up.

"Alisa, listen to me. If he says that was the last one, then that was the last one. It's all right, everyone makes mistakes."

The frustrated girl took a deep breath through clenched teeth. For a moment, she looked like she was about to throw a temper tantrum of toddler proportions. Then she calmed down and started pacing the room.

"Take me down there," she demanded after a few minutes. "I want to see for myself."

"Fine, let's-"

"Dr. Sheridan," his receptionist interrupted via the intercom, "your wife is in your office. She says she needs to talk to you immediately."

"Damn. Tell her I'll be right there." He'd completely forgotten about Robyn having something to tell him. He knew it was nothing good if it couldn't wait for him to come home. He turned to Vic, who was updating the log. "Can you take Alisa downstairs? I have to take care of something."

* * *

Robyn was standing in front of her husband's desk, looking at the family photo he kept there, when she heard the office door open behind her.

"It's about time," she snipped at him, not even trying to hide her annoyance. "I've been here for almost an hour."

"I'm sorry." He crossed the room and slid his arms around her. "We thought we were on the verge of a major breakthrough. I lost track of time. I'm here now, though. Why don't we go down to the cafeteria and talk over a late breakfast?"

"There's no time, Jay. That's what I needed to talk to you about. I've been called to Yedor for a high priority assignment, and I leave in half an hour."

"An assignment? Since when do you get assignments? You're a teacher!"

"A teacher who was once the top analyst in the Alliance, if you'll recall." She tried to remind herself that her usually brilliant husband was under a lot of stress right now. Besides, beating him senseless for a moment of stupidity wouldn't really help. "I also have more experience than anyone else as far as the subject of the assignment goes."

"You're absolutely right," he apologized, pulling her closer. "When did this assignment come down?"

"Yesterday. I tried to tell you then, but you got that emergency call. How's that going, anyway?"

Robyn almost wished she hadn't asked as Jathenn's face fell. He pulled away from her and ran his fingers through his hair.

"The girl is fine. She's awake, aware, and off the sleepers."

"That's great news. What's with the long face?"

"Long story short? All of the telepaths are dead. We confirmed the last one just a few minutes ago. Alisa, the girl in the stasis unit, insists we missed something, but three different lab techs confirmed that we'd seen every unit. But," he sighed, half-heartedly attempting a smile, "at least I'll have plenty of time to spend with Michael while you're away."

"Speaking of which," said Robyn, looking at the chronometer on the wall, "I have a transport to catch." She leaned forward and kissed him hard. "I'm sorry I have to leave like this. I'll call you first chance I get."

She held on to his hand for an extra minute, as if she could pass supportive energy to him through her fingertips, then hurried out the door before she changed her mind about leaving.

* * *

Jathenn's mind was reeling as he took stock of the last couple of days. He'd found a five thousand year old adolescent human touched by a race that who'd been gone almost as long as she had, had his life's dream dashed, and now his wife was gone on Ranger business he thought she'd retired from. He didn't really begrudge her the opportunity to spread her wings again, but he'd been hoping to have her help now that Alisa needed to be dealt with.

He walked down the main corridor of the cryo-ward, heading for the elevator that would take him to the storage room, when he heard a muffled crash coming from the vicinity of the OR. He burst through the doors of the waiting area and saw Alisa pacing by the security door with a smug smile painted across her face.

"I told you there was someone still alive in that room," she said without looking at him. "They're resuscitating him now."

Jathenn couldn't find words. He quickly keyed his passcode into the security system and pushed through the door. The number two flashed brightly in his mind as the door swung shut. Assuming this was a direction sent my Alisa, he went straight to the second operating theater and shoved violently into the auto-scrub room.

As he waited for the scrub process to complete, he stood in the madness on the other side of the glass. There were about nine support staff in the room, running back and forth, comparing monitor output from the various systems, and delivering them to a very frazzled Vicari Marray. Vic, while taking in the various figures being shouted to him, was standing over the operating table, giving the occupant an injection.

As the door slid open, Jathenn almost slipped on a bolt and looked down to see where it had come from. There was a cryo-unit lying on the floor in several pieces, like it had been thrown. He looked up at the table and saw a human male with long, dark hair. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, and there was something abstractly familiar about him.

"In Valen's name, Vic, what are you doing?"

"She was right," he said without looking up. "There was one more unit in that room. We're just about done bringing him up, but we can't get his brain to firmly register on the EEG. All we're getting are ghost waves. If they don't get stronger soon, we're going to lose him."

"Then why isn't Alisa in here helping? If she could pick him up through the cryo-unit, she can probably pull him up."

Vic's head shot up, but left the bottom of his jaw behind.

"Get the girl!" he demanded of no one in particular.

Within minutes, Alisa was escorted into the OR. Without waiting for instructions, she crossed the room and laid her hands on either side of the man's head. Almost immediately, she went pale and started to shake. Jathenn rushed to her side to keep her steady.

"He's in there," she whispered through clenched teeth. "He's buried so deep I can barely feel him, but he's definitely there." She spent the next few minutes concentrating all of her energy on him. She broke out in a full body sweat, and her knees sagged. Jathenn tried to pull her away when the tear of blood ran down her cheek, but she tightened her grip. She raised her head and stared at a spot on the wall just behind his head.

It took a staggering amount of will power to keep Jathenn from backing away from her eerie gaze. Besides the fact that she was looking straight through him, her eyes had done something he'd never seen before. They had turned a shade of black so deep it made her pupils look gray; or would have, if the black didn't cover the entire eyeball. They made him feel transparent in a way he had never imagined.

"Don't you dare," she told him in the same tense whisper. She looked back down, but continued, "I've found him. He's locked behind a door in the very center of his mind, but I'm almost in…yes, that's it…show me what's got you too busy to come out and play."

* * *

After Susan had made her way out of the ruins of a city that had once been something akin to home, she'd found a very agitated Edward waiting for her in what looked like a poor reproduction of a classic automobile. Without saying a word, she'd showed him her papers, and he'd helped her into the front passenger seat. He'd gotten behind the wheel and pulled hard on a lever that sent the car careening down the deserted road leading back to civilization.

He hadn't said anything for the first few minutes, so she took the opportunity to take a peak into the back seat. All she could see was the back of an infant seat. She heard some soft, fabric on fabric sounds that she assumed were caused by the baby's movements, and relaxed a bit. When Edward did finally speak, it was to tell her that her flight was now leaving an hour earlier than they'd thought. He showed her the large duffle bag at her feet, which included everything she would need to start her new life, and then told her about the false background the local Anla'shok chapter had created for her.

At the airport, she'd grabbed her bag and started to get out of the car, when she turned back with a look of horror on her face.

"Where's the baby?" She couldn't believe she'd almost forgotten him. The poor thing had been so quiet, he'd actually slipped her mind in the rush of information.

"Right here," Edward had said in a much calmer tone as he lifted the infant seat, complete with tiny child, from the back seat of the car. "Don't worry," he told her as she stared at him anxiously, "he's a good baby, and I'm sure you'll do fine by him. After all, you were requested by Ranger One herself." He handed her the carry-seat, and gave her a soft nudge toward the front door of the airport. "Hurry now, or you'll miss your flight."

Now, after almost missing her flight and needing help securing the baby's seat, she thanked the stewardess who had helped her, and she finally had a chance to look at him. He was tiny. Three months old, she'd been told. He had light brown hair that waved softly over his forehead, and light blue eyes the color of the sky. He was wearing a gray one-piece sweat suit and a white baseball cap. She found herself wondering if Earth had baseball anymore. These were the kinds of things she would have to learn quickly, both for safety's sake, and the sake of giving this little boy as normal a life as she could. He was waving a small stuffed cat around with one tiny fist, content to amuse himself.

She had, ironically, managed to be early, so she took advantage of her wait time and picked him up out of his seat. She settled him into the crook of her arm, and he stopped shaking his toy. He just looked at her expectantly. A wave of fear washed over her as she realized for the first time that she was actually going to have to mother this child.

She'd never realistically thought of being a mother. In her old life, there never would have been room for it. She wasn't emotionally capable of being nurturing. Now she just hoped that the hole in her heart had healed enough over the centuries to finally be able to love a child. She understood all too well the unique position she was in to scar this child permanently.

Susan tentatively wiped a stray curl away from his eye, and ran the pad of her finger over his soft cheek. He reached up with his small fist and grabbed her finger, squeezing it tightly, and giving her a smile that was almost too big for his little face. The fear subsided almost instantly.

"You know, little guy, we'll be just fine. We'll figure it out together."


	9. Chapter 9

The Universe Blinked

Chapter 9

Alisa could feel her legs weakening. She lost her grip and felt the mental connection snap as she slumped back into Dr. Sheridan's arms. She closed her eyes and let him half lead, half carry her to a chair.

"Alisa, are you okay?" she heard him ask. He sounded like he was calling from the other side of a wall. "Come on…talk to me. Let me know you're okay. Someone help me get her to a bed. I want her monitored-"

"No," she groaned, "I'm all right." She shook her head slightly to try to clear her mind. She was having a hard time processing what she'd just seen. It had been awful to watch, and she'd seen it play out six times. She couldn't even begin to guess how many times this poor man had lived through that scene.

"He's stuck. He's trapped in the most horrible part of his own mind. I have to go back in there. I have to get him out." She opened her eyes to see the shocked look on Dr. Sheridan's face.

"Absolutely not! Maybe tomorrow, after we've monitored your condition, but there is no way you're-"

"Dr. Sheridan, I don't think you fully understand what we're dealing with here. You have just revived a man who has been living in his own personal _hell_ longer than your precious Interstellar Alliance has even existed. You have taken him off of the life support system at a time when his mind can't support his basic bodily functions for very long, and his body is too weak to withstand the intrusion of the machines again. If I don't bring him out of this soon, _he – will – die_!" She'd gone from a tense wisper to a loud yell during her tirade; she'd managed to get up out of her chair so that she was yelling right in Dr. Sheridan's face. Now she lowered herself back into the chair as the exertion took its toll. "Just get me a sandwich and some water," she whispered, "I want to start again within the hour."

* * *

Vicarri hurried through the halls in search of a meal for the miracle girl. He fumed silently at having been reduced to an errand boy. As he hurried down the corridor, he felt a hand touch his arm. Without missing a beat, he ducked into the little used service corridor.

"Well done, doctor," whispered the voice attached to a man almost completely hidden in shadow. "Here is the access code for your payment."

He took the offered envelope and stared at it for a minute. "Thank you," he whispered, "but I still don't understand. After all of the time and money spent on this project, why sabotage it when it's just about to be completed?" He looked up, anticipating a response, but he found himself alone. He shrugged to himself and continued on toward the cafeteria.

* * *

"And our most recent intel says that all contact was lost with the Nashow colony Manlor Theta early this morning." The young Abbai Ranger took his seat at the long conference table.

Robyn sat back in her chair near the end of the table and looked to her left. "Entil'Zha, if we know that the Kymer are behind these invasions, then why hasn't the Alliance filed sanctions against them yet?"

"Because we're still looking for concrete proof. They are using ships that they haven't disclosed to the Alliance. At first, we didn't know who we were dealing with. The manned vessels involved in the attacks were shielded so well that we couldn't even scan for life signs, never mind matching them to a particular race. They never landed those ships. In fact, they usually didn't even stay after the initial invasion. Control was maintained by automated weapons systems."

"So what changed?"

"They made a mistake," announced a Centauri Ranger sitting near the other end of the table. "As I'm sure you're aware, Manlor Theta is a popular vacation spot. The invaders assumed they could safely land there and blend in. No crew has been seen actually entering or exiting the ship, but it's too convenient a coincidence that there is an exclusively Kymer security crew guarding the ship. Especially since that particular security crew had managed to arrive on planet after the invasion."

"So now we need to prove that that _coincidence_ is more than just a racially exclusive group having been hired to watch a ship," Robyn stated, finally feeling like she was up to speed.

"Exactly. And that is why I called you in. We want you to train our under cover agent. You're an expert on Kymer language, culture, political structure, and technology. We need you to teach him everything you know. We also want you to stay here and consult while we run the mission."

Robyn stared at her boss for a long moment as she processed the information. She sat up a bit straighter, and looked Kate straight in the eye as she gave her answer.

"No."

"What?" Kate asked, astounded. "You don't mean to tell me that you came all this way to refuse to help?"

"Of course not. I fully intend to do my part. I just disagree that my part should be limited to teaching and consulting."

* * *

"_Keep firing."_

"_Collision in thirty seconds."_

"_Keep firing!"_

"_Susan," he called almost questioningly, too concerned with what was going on around them to be bothered with formalities._

"_If we let them get away they'll bring back reinforcements. Stay on course!"_

_ He stared at her for a second as she stood watching the battle through the view port. He wished he'd told her how he felt when they'd talked earlier. She'd actually smiled at him. A genuinely happy smile. She'd never done that before, and if they didn't stop losing ships soon, she may never do it again._

_ He watched his console helplessly as one Whitestar after another disappear from the screen. Scanners were showing that while the destroyers were taking damage, they were still in tact. They, mean while, were down a third of their fleet. _

_ He checked on the status of their own ship, and when he looked back again, he felt the smallest bit of hope. In the last two seconds, three of the destroyers had vanished from the screen. Maybe they weren't so indestructable after all._

_ When one of the last two dots vanished from the screen, he didn't instantly register the fact that it was the one with which they'd been on a collision course. It took an alarm on his console telling him that there was a problem with navigation to drive the idea home. He was glad he had more important things to deal with. He'd think about what just happened later._

"_Navigational control damaged," he called out. "Working to repair."_

"_How many are left?"_

"_Just one," he answered, knowing she was inquiring about the destroyers. "Whitestars four and nine are on it." He looked up just in time to see a large piece of debris heading right for the view port she was now facing away from. _

"_Susan!". Time seemed to slow down as he watched her turn to see what he was yelling about. She tried running out of the line of fire, but it was no use. The massive chunk of metal struck, and the bridge of the Whitestar was blotted out by a massive flash of light._

* * *

Alisa felt like breathing a sigh of relief as the scene ended without looping back. There was no time for feeling victorious, however. She now found herself standing in a cavernous, pitch black room. "Hello?" she called into the darkness. "I know you're here. I can feel you." She took a few tentative steps forward and turned in a circle, trying to get a lock on him.

She sensed a change in the surroundings just to her right and turned to look. Standing there, in the middle of the room, was a man with long dark hair. His back was facing her, and he was wrapped in a long brown cloak. The terror and confusion radiated from him in waves. She reached a hand out to him, but he recoiled from her touch and spun to stare at her. His eyes were wild, like a man who'd been to hell and back.

"Marcus?" she whispered as she reached out to touch him again. He jumped back and reached helplessly for something he was expecting to be at his hip. His panic level rose when it wasn't there, and he backed away from her until a corner in the previously endless room stopped his retreat. She walked slowly toward him with her hand outstretched, as if she were approaching an animal. He continued to shrink back into the corner, ultimately sliding down the wall and curling into a defensive position with his arms over his head.

He may not have spoken yet, but the nature of their meeting made her accutely aware of the essence of his thoughts. He had been caught in the mental loop for so long that he couldn't comprehend the idea of anything else existing. He didn't understand where he was, or why he was there, and he certainly didn't know who she was. She pulled her hand back and crouched down in front of him.

"Marcus, my name is Alisa. I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe." She felt the distrust growing, and she knew she had her work cut out for her. "You were having bad dreams for a long time, but I made them go away. It's safe to come out now." He raised his head and glared at her, and she realized that he thought she had stopped him from saving Susan. She realized then that Susan was the key. She called up a memory of hugging Susan goodbye when she'd left Babylon 5 for Minbar and projected it to him, saying, "I'm a friend of Susan's. You've been caught in an awful place, but I'm here to rescue you. Just like you rescued Susan. She didn't die in that battle. You saved her, and now I'm here to save you."

His glare softened as she spoke now, and he began to calm down. He was still confused, and would probablly be a bit crazy for a while when he woke up. Who wouldn't be after what he'd been through. He'd be okay, though. She'd make sure of it. She smiled at him as she realized what this meant. This man had saved Susan's life, allowing her to go on to do great things. Before that, Susan had saved her from a lifetime of pointless servitude in the Psi Corp. Now, here she was saving this man from an eternity in hell.

"I can take you home," she said as she looked into his hope filled eyes. She reached out once more, and this time, he didn't pull away. He let her take his hand in hers. "Let's go, Marcus. It's time to complete the circle."


End file.
